Discover the tales of Lord Shiva in ‘Spirit of India’

New Delhi: An hour special show, ‘Spirit of India- Maha Shivratri’, narrating the tales of the multiple facets of Lord Shiva will be aired on the festival on Monday.

The show to be aired on Discovery Channel will also explore people’s spiritual and religious faith and rituals followed to celebrate this occasion across the country.

It will give viewers an insight into the deeper spiritual significance underlying the celebration, according to a statement from the channel.

“The show will showcase people from Varanasi recreating the momentous occasion of Lord Shiva’s marriage to his wife Parvati. From fancy guest lists to dressing up the city in its wedding finery along with colours and scents to singing and chanting, the programme will show how the whole city will participate in the big wedding procession,” read a brief about the show. (IANS)

The center of India's high-tech industry, the city is also known for its parks and nightlife. Wikimedia Commons

Bangalore often referred as the Garden City and Silicon Valley

The city is also home to many temples that are regularly flocked by devotees

Bangalore is endowed with many titles that capture the essence of the city. Garden City and Silicon Valley are often used to refer to this culturally rich city. Due to a large influx of people from all over the world into the city, Bangalore is now a melting pot of culture and attracts people from various walks of life. The city is also home to many temples that are regularly flocked by devotees. Apart from these, there are quite a few places of worship around Bangalore that are worth a visit.

Located on the outskirts of Bangalore, at distance of 60 km from the city, Ghati Subramanya temple has Lord Karthikeya as its primary deity. The temple also houses idols of Lord Narasimha and the idols of both these deities are believed to have emerged from the earth.

The temple has a history that dates back to almost 600 years and is believed to be developed under the Ghorpade rulers of Sandur. Devotees believe that when couples having trouble conceiving take a vow at this temple, they will be blessed with children.

Chamundi temple, located on the famous Chamundi Hills is a popular temple in Mysore and is visited by devotees and tourists alike throughout the year. The temple is located about 160 km from the city of Bangalore, which makes it a little over a 3-hour drive from the city.

The temple also has a flight of one thousand steps which were built in 1659 and leads to the summit of the 3000-foot hill. Wikimedia Commons

The temple is also believed to be one among the 18 Shakti Peethas. The construction of the temple is credited to the Hoysala rulers, who reportedly built it in the 12th century. However, the tower of the temple is believed to have been constructed by the Vijayanagara rulers in the 17th century. The temple also has a flight of one thousand steps which were built in 1659 and leads to the summit of the 3000-foot hill. The temple also has several idols of Nandi, but the biggest one is the one situated on the 800th step. This idol of Nandi is about 15 feet in height and 24 feet in length.

The Kotilingeshwara temple is located 96 km from the city of Bangalore, in the district of Kolar. You can reach the place in around two and a half hours by road. The temple is famous due to its huge lingams (Shiva idol), which is the largest lingam in the entire world, which stands 108 feet tall.

The Kotilingeshwara temple is located 96 km from the city of Bangalore, in the district of Kolar. Wikimedia Commons

The temple has ten million lingas as indicated by its name, where ‘Koti’ stands for crore or ten million. These were installed by Bhakta Manjunatha, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva with the help of Maharaja Ambikeshwaravarma and his family. Bhakta Manjunatha, born to a pious Shaiva family was an atheist who did not believe in Lord Shiva. He is believed to have insulted Lord Shiva ten million times. The ten million lingas installed by him were done as an act of repentance of this after he came to realize the divinity of Lord Shiva.